Bed-bottom



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. P. HART, OF NEW' IVOODSTOOK, NEW YORK.

BED-BOTTOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,573, dated April 12, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I-I. P. HART, of New TWoodstock, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed-Bottoms, the construction and operation of `which I have described in the 'following speciiication and illustrated in its accompanying drawings with suil'icient clearness to enable competent and skilful workmen in the arts to which it pertains or is most nearly allied to make and use my invention.

My said invention consists in the'arrangement of a spiral spring upon a hook secured on the inside of one of the side and end rails ot a bedstead as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings my invention is represented as follows:

Figure l is a transverse section. is a plan.

.fi are the posts of thebedstead.

B are the side rails and C are the end rails oi' the bedstead.

auy a re a series ot hooks screwed into one oi the side rails and one of the end rails from the inside of the bedstead. Fitting upon each of the hooks a are spiral springs Z) so arranged as to allow the wire netting which terms the bed bottom to yield as hereinafter more fully described. On the opposite end and side rails are a series of bolts c having dogs e fitting loosely upon them and rez-,ting against the collar under t-he head of the bolt and are so curved and so tit the metallic rods f/ as to prevent their turning as the screws are turned to tighten the wires. The bolts c are screwed into the side and end rails in the same manner as the hooks.

g g are metallic rods four in number one on each side and end of the bedstead, two ot them resting upon the hooks and against the springs, and the other two resting on the bolts against the dogs. Stretched across be tween these rods lengthwise and widthwise oii the bedstead and attached thereto are lengths of wire which form the bed bottom. The wires are placed at equal distances apart. The dogs c clasp one of the rods on one side and end of the bedstead in such a manner as to be prevented from turning as Fig. 2

the screws are turned. The springs are slipped over the hook, the bend forming a shoulder against which the springs rest and allow them to yield as strain is brought to bear upon them by weight being placed upon the netting or bed bottom. By the simple arrangement of the springs upon the hooks and metallic rods bearing against them a very strong and elastic bed bottom is obtained at a trifling cost.

In the drawing, I have only shown the springs on one side and the dogs the same way, but in practice I put the springs on one side and end rail, and the dogs on the opposite side and end rail so that the netting can be tightened both ways.

In the patent granted to Franklin Russell September 14th 1858 is a bed bottom in some respects similar to mine. The wire netting is secured to the rails of the bedstead by bolts passing through the rails with a nut on the outside and a hook on the inside which hooks upon the rods and stretches and holds the wire netting, but there is no pro` vision made for it to yield.

The advantages of my improvement are obvious: The outside of the rails are free from any projections such as bolts or nuts and there is no danger of tearing the clothes or bruising the body that may chance to come in contact with them.

My improvement can be applied to an ordinary bedstead, and at a trilling cost.

I am aware that coiled springs have been used in various ways for the construction of bed bottoms. I am not however aware that the arrangement of the hook, the spring, and the side rods in combination by which the turn or bend of the hook is made to operate as a shoulder to support the spring, while at the same time the parts are so arranged with reference to each other that the side rods shall tit loosely between the parts of the hook, and operate upon both ends of the spring as in my arrangement, has been mown before. I make no claim to .the hooks, springs, or side rods, except when arranged in combination as described.

The particular improvement which con stitutes my said invention, and which I claim as having been originally and rst invented by me, 1s-

The arrangement described of the springs b, hooks a, and rails and rods g, in combi- 5 nation With each other, by Which the turns of the hooks are made to form shoulders to support the springs against the pressure of the rods g when these are made to bear di; reetly upon both ends of the springs as described.

H. P. HART. Witnesses:

E. K. JENKINS, R. P. BELL. 

